Eric 'Smooth Breeze' Darius

There is a new sound of jazz being heard around Florida that is quickly blossoming. That sound emanates from 16 year old Eric Darius. It’s hard to believe such silky sounds come from an artist too young to vote.

Darius, a resident of Lutz, Florida attends Blake performing Arts High School where he plays with the Marching Band, a symphony band, and is the first chair with the all-county symphony band.

Darius’s influences range from John Coltrane and Charlie Parker to Kenny G and David Sanborn. He plays the saxophone, flute and the piano.

He has performed in New York City’s Lincoln Center, Switzerland’s Montreaux jazz festival as part of Sonny LaRosa’s "America’s Youngest Jazz Band", and in Wayakama, Japan as part of Blake’s jazz combo, Florida’s Cultural Exchange program.

Despite his tender age, Eric is fast becoming a regular at local jazz spots. Eric Darius is an exciting emerging saxophonist whose versatility will be demonstrated with his debut CD "Cruzin" of smooth and traditional jazz.

Darius performs imaginatively and demonstrates versatility; he can improvise pensively or forcefully. He structures solos nicely and does some growling to add timbral variety to them. In all contexts, he keeps things moving without being obtrusive. His playing is crisp and quite tasty.